It happened in a graveyard
by ObviouslyElementary
Summary: Harry takes Ginny to meet his parents, all the way into the little village of Godric's Hollow.


House: Slytherin

Year: first year

Category: Standard

Prompt: Meeting your other half's family

Word Count: 1602

The air was cold in Godric's Hollow. Fall was slowly fading away, and winter was coming to take its place.

It had been two years since the end of the war, two years since Harry set foot in this place. By that time, he was way too worried about his life and the life of those that mattered to think about bringing her here.

But now that everything had settled, now that life was slowly putting itself back on its feet, now that everything was being put in order, he felt as if it was the right time to come, to bring her here.

They apparated by the entrance of the town. Weirdly enough, this little village had a history. It seemed so simple, but it had housed a few of the biggest wizards of the wizarding world.

Harry couldn't stop himself from making that connection every time he walked through the gates he had learned to recognize, even if only by his dreams and a single time he had come all the way here in search for the sword that would aid his quest.

Again, he remembered that night two years prior, when he and Hermione were tired, cold, and hungry. It was Christmas Eve. He had shown her the place, but she was his best friend. She could know before anyone else.

Bringing Ginny, though, seemed like a way heavier burden to carry.

Harry gave his first step but was stopped by a hand squeezing his own. He turned, and her warm brown eyes and sweet smile made him breathe out slowly, lips trembling ever so slightly. He was nervous. His hands were sweaty, he could feel his heart beating quickly inside his chest, fingers shaking as he held her hand tighter.

"I love you" she whispered, stepping closer to him and holding his face gently in her free hand. The other intertwined their fingers. He smiled at her and nodded.

"I know."

They leaned in for a light peck on the lips, and she nodded, trying not to reveal her true excitement. She knew it was hard for him, coming over, showing this part of his life that had ended so soon. Even so, she had been anxiously waiting for this moment to come.

The moment when she would finally get to know his family. Or what she could know of them.

Walking through the dimly lit streets of the little town, Harry began telling her a bit of what he had found out during his life about this place. He told her it was home to Godric Gryffindor at some point, that Albus Dumbledore had lived in a particular house, and that his parents had moved in when the war began to keep him safe. She listened to everything carefully, even questioning some parts of it, but mostly allowed him to tell her what he deemed necessary.

Harry wasn't one for details.

Soon, they approached the graveyard, and Harry stopped for a moment, sucking in a sharp breath and feeling almost like a ghost of pain where his scar resided. There was no more Voldemort, no more part of his soul inside him, but sometimes it insisted on annoying him.

When it was done, he stepped inside and Ginny followed, looking around at the many gravestones but never leaving the way he was leading.

Eventually, they reached the gravestone that read 'James and Lily Potter'. He stopped in front of it, hesitated and sighed, looking back at Ginny, almost requiring her strength to put him through it.

She, however, being as fierce and easy-going as she was, squeezed his hand and kneeled in front of the gravestone.

"Hello, Missus and Mister Potter" she whispered, looking at it, before looking up to Harry and smiling. "My name is Ginny Weasley, I am your son's girlfriend. I hope you don't mind that we showed up in this inconvenient time, without previous warning, but we really wanted to have a chat with you about our relationship."

Her playful smile made Harry want to laugh, shaking his head and kneeling next to her, taking her hand and holding it over the grave.

"Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend Ginny Weasley," he said and chuckled while she giggled, both slowly making themselves more comfortable and sitting down by the stone, still holding hands.

"You know, I don't know a lot about you, but... I've heard you were a redhead like me, Lily" Ginny said, leaning against one side of the stone as Harry leaned against the other. He watched her mesmerized at how easily she could make the situation feel so natural. "I guess it runs in the family, the taste for intelligent and fierce Gryffindor redheads."

"I am pretty sure my father would have approved my choice," Harry said, squeezing her hand, but she just gasped and looked at him, offended.

"Harry! Don't speak about your father as if he wasn't here!" she replied, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry Mister Potter, Harry is a little bit of a lunatic sometimes! And yes, I am sure you know I am the best choice for your son. Very much like your wife. You both have amazing taste in women."

Harry smiled at her fondly before squeezing her hand again, making Ginny turn to face him.

"They really would have loved you" he whispered, pulling her hand for a soft kiss on the knuckles, and she smiled right back at him.

"Tell me more about them" she whispered, slowly moving closer to Harry until she could put her head on his shoulder. "What you know, of course."

"No, I will just make up some facts to make you feel impressed."

"Harry!"

"Okay, okay," Harry chuckled and pulled her closer. "I don't know a lot... but Lupin, Sirius and even Slughorn told me some things about my parents. And Snape too, through his memories. Apparently, my father really was a pain in the butt."

"I would never have doubted it for a second" Ginny nodded, and Harry chuckled, shaking his head.

"My mother was one of the brightest witches of her time. Especially being muggleborn and all."

"Like Hermione?"

"Like Hermione."

"Your mother was intelligent and fierce, your father was trickery and mischievous... are you sure you are their child?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, and Harry turned to look at her offended before smirking and leaning close, moving his hands all over her body. "H-Harry st-stop! That tickles!"

"You said I'm not intelligent or fierce! Or mischievous!" he said, keeping the tickle attack coming and making her squeak and laugh as she held onto his arms, trying to make him stop.

"Harry!"

They kept at the fight, with her trying to stop him and him tickling her for at least five more minutes. Then, they settled, laughing and panting and leaning against each other.

"I thought... I would bring you here... and we would be sad and mourn and cry" Harry whispered, suddenly, and Ginny went quiet, looking at him. He smiled and caressed her face, gently fixing her hair behind her ear. "I would never be sad around you..."

"You could never be sad around them either" she whispered, nodding to the grave and smiling when Harry followed with his gaze. "This is their spirit. If they wanted us to mourn, we would be mourning. But they want us to be happy Harry... they want you to be happy."

"And they would have loved to meet you" he added, looking down at her and smiling. "They would have taken you in like their own daughter. They would have been so happy..."

"They are happy" she whispered and held Harry's hand, holding it over her heart. "They are, Harry. Because you are. Because I am. Because we are happy together, here, meeting them. Talking to them. Being around them. It's not only the living sought company. The dead do too."

"Do you... really think they were... are... here with us? Meeting you? Just as if I had just brought you home for the first time?" he asked, his eyes shining with hope and happiness, and she just nodded, smiling kindly at him.

"Of course they are. They wouldn't leave you to talk alone."

And just as she said it, a soft breeze made its way into the graveyard. They looked up as it shook the nearby trees, not enough to worry but enough to call attention, and suddenly, the wind seemed to sing to them.

It wasn't too late, when a single couple of a stag and a doe jumped out of the little forest nearby, looking around and making their way towards the middle of the street, right between the graveyard and the little playground in front of it.

Harry and Ginny looked at it, at the animals standing by, mesmerized and surprised, as the wind kept blowing. Both Harry and Ginny stood up, and the sound they made called the animals' attention, both turning their heads to look.

When they did, they bowed to both and then sprinted, out into the night, while Harry and Ginny ran out of the graveyard, only being able to see them jump into the nearest bush and run into the forest, the wind stopping as soon as they were out of view.

They looked at each other and felt the need to laugh bubbling inside their bodies, both chuckling and giggling as they leaned in, foreheads touching with a final sigh.

"This was definitely the best family meeting I have ever been to" Ginny whispered, happily, and Harry smiled wide, nodding slowly.

"Yes... I must agree."


End file.
